The issue Cyril raises is interesting. There are a lot of other differences between car and air travel, such as the varying skill levels. Planes are generally flown -- ultralights being the exception, IIRC, in the US -- by highly skilled people who often have to requalify to keep flying, especially the big passenger jets. Cars are driven by just about anyone and the usual requirement to drive is passing a road test and a written test once for a whole life time. (And lots more people drive illegally, I'm sure, then fly illegally.)
Away from the licensing issue, though, the people who fly planes often fly them for a living -- professionally. Certainly, there is no amateur flights at Delta.:) Most people who drive cars generally do not drive professionally. (Double entendre intended.:) There are also lots more cars on the road than there are planes in the air. Car trips are more frequent than plane trips -- not comparing miles, but actual trips or even time spent in a car per capita. Also, air traffic is strictly controlled, while ground traffic is -- well, if you don't see a cop, you're on the honor system. Perhaps a better comparison here would be between different types of ground transport and different types of air transport. Certainly, a bus or a train is more comparable to a passenger jet. Car or taxi travel is more comparable to small plane travel -- and I read somewhere years ago, small planes crash much more frequently than big jumbo jets. I imagine buses and trains crash less frequently than cars. Also, planes are inherently delicate: not designed to survive impact. See http://home.earthlink.net/~enzal/index.html If the Burnelli people are correct, planes can be made even safer. Most passenger plane crashes result in loss of the aircraft and the lives of all occupants, IIRC. Cars are generally designed to survive crashes; in aircraft, emphasis is put more on avoidance with little attention to survival on impact. (Yes, there are flotation devices and inflatable escape tubes, but this only helps after impact. It's kind of like making a car that can't survive impact, but has a fire extinguisher.:) However, this would speak to planes having a lower safety rating -- which would not explain conventional wisdom -- than if the Burnelli design paradigm were used. Cheers! Dan http://uweb.superlink.net/neptune/
